| Abstract: | The child pedestrian death rates, per 100,000 population, for the USA and 22 European countries are compared. The safety measures used in some of these countries, for the two key areas of danger for children, the school journey and the residential environment, are outlined. Problems that might prevent the introduction of these countermeasures in some other countries are discussed. It is recommended that: 1) there should be special low speed limits on the roads outside all schools. On minor roads traffic calming measures would be suitable, on main roads new speed limits could be introduced and enforced by police surveillance using video camera techniques. 2) In suitable residential areas children should be enabled to play out in safety on the streets near their homes. In some countries the most acceptable way of achieving this might be by a change in the law whereby children would have priority in these designated Home Zones. |
